The present invention relates to the field of novelty display directed to public events such as sports games, and more particularly it relates to a novelty display shaped as an enlarged human hand with fingers and thumb capable of being readily configured into a large number of different shapes including many well-known hand signs and including the hand shape for holding a flag or pennant, each different hand shape being held in a stable condition for any desired time period by a special releasable engagement system.
Enlarged simulated hands have become popular recreational novelties, both as a children""s toy in the home and as often displayed both by children and adults at public gatherings such as concerts or sports events where, along with various signs, banners, flags and the like, the xe2x80x9cbig handsxe2x80x9d are energetically flourished to catch the attention of others including players, officials, spectators and television viewers.
Hand simulators of known art for toys or public display are typically not intended or equipped to provide independent finger and thumb movement or shaping. Even if the hand simulator is made of flexible material such that the fingers and thumb can be moved to some extent, it is typical that any different shapes formed in this manner must be held in place manually, making it awkward to hold aloft and wave around in a desired manner.
Where xe2x80x9cshape memoryxe2x80x9d capabilities have been provided in hand simulators, e.g. by utilizing disengagable fastenings, the number of different hand shapes available has been limited to only a few of the large number of well-known signs and gestures that can be formed by the human hand.
There have been approaches seeking to provide limited flexing and shaping of one or more digits of novelty simulated enlarged hands along with some sort of disengagable fastenings or other xe2x80x9cshape memoryxe2x80x9d, typically such approaches have been limited as to the number of fingers and the number of different shapes possible.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 364,357 to Ledgerwood shows a NOVELTY HAND showing circular areas suggestive of disengagable fastenings on the palm side only, that suggest the potential of forming a small limited number of finger/thumb shapes.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 449,423 to Lowsky shows a NOVELTY GLOVE that displays eyes mouth and tongue of a xe2x80x9chappy facexe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,025 to Borghese discloses MOVABLE HAND SIGN AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME which is substantially non-enlarged such that the user""s fingers extend nearly full length inside the hand sign so as to be capable of moving and bending individual fingers of the sign via the user""s hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,052 to Matthews discloses a GLOVE FOR SPORTING EVENT SPECTATOR that envelopes the hand in the normal manner of a glove, featuring as novelty a pocket for containing a piece of cloth colored the same as an official penalty flag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,317 to Provenzano discloses a MOVING HAND AMUSEMENT AND NOVELTY DEVICE with limited single-finger animation powered by a motor tucked into material attached to the rear of the wrist.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,975 to Harreld et al discloses an INFLATABLE NOVELTY DEVICE that includes a hand pocket and individual finger/thumb appendages that may be integrally connected to a main horse-shoe shaped body to form shapes that are generally limited to one or more extended fingers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,963 to Matsua discloses a HAND SIMULATOR with five finger portions: the palm has holes in which the end of one or more corresponding finger portion may be inserted to give a manual sign or signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,817 to Kostelac discloses a HAND-SHAPED NOVELTY HAND SIGN having a plastic-covered foam rubber body portion with front and rear panels, configured with finger slits in the rear panel.
The foregoing patents and other known art fail to provide versatility and capabilities sought and obtained in the present invention.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an enlarged hand simulator that envelopes a human hand and displays an enlarged representation of a human hand in which the digits of the hand can be readily individually shaped to a straight or bent shape.
It is a further object to provide a readily releasable engagement system that holds one or more bent digits in place, retained temporarily in the bent shape for any desired time period and that is easily released.
It is a further object for the enlarged hand simulator of the invention to be made capable of a large number of different recognizable hand signals and/or signs.
It is a further object to make the enlarged hand simulator light in weight.
It is a still further object to provide an embodiment of the enlarged hand simulator that can be easily and economically manufactured and distributed.
The foregoing objects have been met by the invention, a flexible foam body is configured with two panel sides, front and back, with an outline defining five digits: thumb and index, third, fourth and fifth fingers. The foam body is fitted with areas of releasable engagement material, such as Velcro hook-and-loop type, affixed by self-adhesive at strategically selected locations, such as the finger tips, that enable any of an unprecedented number of hand signs, signals and/or gestures to be set up, displayed and retained as long as desired. In a preferred embodiment, five engagement patches affixed on the front side at the fingertips and thumb can engage selected mating patches including an engagement strip on the front side extending across the palm and two patches on the rear side, specially located near the ends of the index and third fingers.